3 defenseman trade options for Oilers if they miss out on Erik Karlsson

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At the start of the new year, it seems that the Edmonton Oilers were reborn and found new life on ice. The Oilers are currently riding a hot streak with a record of 12-3-6 that pushes them to sit only three points out from the Pacific-leading Vegas Knights. Amidst this success, there were a few bumps in between wherein the team lost in overtime by squandering 3 goal leads multiple times against the New York Rangers and the Colorado Avalanche. The missed opportunity to gain additional points has led us to crave huge impactful moves from the management before the trade deadline.

Even before the hiccup from the Oilers, there was rampant chatter regarding the team’s willingness to acquire a big-name player. Edmonton has been linked to players like Coyotes’ left-hand shooting defenseman Jakob Chychrun, to Blackhawks right-wing star Patrick Kane, but most notably and currently, the team has been linked to Sharks’ defenseman and Norris Trophy front-runner, Erik Karlsson.

The idea of Erik Karlsson, who is having a rejuvenated season with 18 goals, and 58 assists for a total of 76 points, alongside two of the most dynamic players in the league right now in Connor McDavid and Leon Draistl is mouth-watering to us fans. Before we get too enamoured with this fantasy of a trade, there are hurdles for the Oilers to get this done. The biggest hurdle in acquiring Karlsson is his heavy cap hit of $11.5 million which runs through 2026-2027. Edmonton has to convince San Jose to retain some salary back or get a third team involved to make this trade happen. If Oilers exhaust everything and find themselves out in the running to get Karlsson due to the mentioned restraints, they can look toward these defensemen instead.

NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 21: Mattias Ekholm #14 of the Nashville Predators controls the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena on February 21, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

RD Mattias Ekholm to the Oilers?

Most of the Oilers fans want sexy names like Erik Karlsson, it will be good for the team if they can acquire a player of that calibre but the cap hit is huge. If Edmonton wants to shore up their defensive core, they can look to get Predators’ defenseman Mattias Ekholm. With Ekholm, the Oilers will be able to push struggling defenseman, Evan Bouchard down their lineup. Also, Ekholm can help ease up the heavy minutes that Darnell Nurse had been accumulating so far.

Although Ekholm holds a $6.5 cap hit that runs until 2025-2026, this dollar figure will be easier for Ken Holland to maneuver. A trade for Ekholm might look like this;

Reports are that the Predators are asking for at least two first-round picks for Ekholm, however, that might be too steep for many teams to reach, and they might be forced to bring their price down closer to the deadline. If that happens, Oilers can swoop in and get Ekholm, there will still be a difference in money switching, and depending on whether or not the Predators will be willing to retain some of the salary of Ekholm, some draft picks from the Oilers might be needed.

ST LOUIS, MO – NOVEMBER 14: Colton Parayko #55 of the St. Louis Blues controls the puck against Colton Sceviour #70 of the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Enterprise Center on November 14, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

RD Colton Parayko to the Oilers?

Another defenseman the Oilers might look into if they strike out on Karlsson is St. Louis Blues defenseman, Colton Parayko. Like Ekholm, Parayko only has a $6.5 cap hit that runs through 2029-2030. Don’t be alarmed, as Parayko is only 29 years old and although he is struggling on the ice due to some injuries, he brings a championship pedigree, which will be a welcome boost to this Oilers team, especially on defence, which has struggled for the most part this season.

The Blues all signalled the white flag a week ago when they shipped centre Ryan O’Reilly to the Leafs, and prior to that have already traded winger Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers. Ken Holland should do his due diligence by picking up the phone and asking the Blues on what it will take to get them to move Parayko.

We shall see if that proposed trade might get things done, it will all depends if Oilers are asking the Blues to eat up some of Parayko’s salary. If the Blues is reluctant to retain some of the salary, Ken Holland might need to involve another team that will be willing to take on the salary to be able to even up the money.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 17: John Klingberg #3 of the Anaheim Ducks looks on against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on January 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

RD John Klingberg to the Oilers?

If the Oilers are looking for a Karlsson-type of player, the Anaheim Ducks’ defenseman John Klingberg fits that mould. Yes, we are aware of his struggles this season, but almost any defenseman will have a terrible year if they are playing in Anaheim this season. Klingberg was just a season removed from scoring 41 points with the Dallas Stars wherein he was the top-pairing defenseman and the quarterback of the 1st power-play unit. Klingberg also desired to sign with the Oilers last offseason, but he opted to take a one-year deal with the Ducks.

Trading for Klingberg will not be difficult compared to the defensemen mentioned earlier as he is a free agent this offseason. Anaheim Ducks are all but in rebuild mode and will be willing to trade away players to get future draft picks to help that process. By trading Klingberg to the Oilers, the Ducks assure themselves of a draft pick instead of losing him in free agency for nothing.

Some picks might be added to this deal depending on how much money the Ducks are willing to retain. Not only that the Oilers get a defenseman to pair with Nurse, but they also do it without giving away from their own defensive core.

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